87 thoughts on “Audition videos, take two!”

  11. Thad is a very good friend of mine. He took care of me when I was super sick and has always been down to help out. He will probably end up going in the extra slot that I had reserved but I still made him audition! No playing favorites for me!

  13. I gotta throw my weight behind #1, my fellow Southerner! And from my home state, no less. Not to mention, she seems like a pretty awesome person. #3 Seems pretty cool, too.

  14. Amy Brown’s lack of focus sort of bothered me; I feel like she just thinks this is an easy way to get a cheap ride to different places outside of her current location. She mentions money and being broke about 6 times whereas she talks about body modification for, oh, the last 2 minutes of a 10 minute video. She seems to not have any real interest in the actual trip, unfortunately. Cute on video or tumblr? Totally. Qualified or motivated to truly travel the world? Perhaps I’m presumptuous, but I would say no.

    Number 2, on the other hand, sounds completely qualified and really motivated. That’s the sort of person I hope gets selected for this.

  16. I’d just like to say that the chick who said “I have wrote in high school” probably shouldn’t be the one to write.

  23. I don’t think that I fully understand why these audition tapes have been posted, is it the modblog viewers choice on who does this? I think this just opens the doors for negative comments and ‘this person should get it cuz they r c00t’ remarks.

  26. I think the comments made so far prove my point entirely. It shouldn’t matter if someone is ‘cute’ or ‘crazy’, it should be based on their qualifications, therefore I don’t see why these are posted here. If it isn’t our choice, why make these people feel like shit by letting people leave these comments, pretty much saying saying one person is better than the other 4 because they are attractive.

  27. I agree that it sucks about the negative comments, But I think the idea is to show off how easy it is make the video, therefore get more contestants? Maybe, I could be wrong.
    The actual videos though are to give an insight into what people are like in person, it’s not supposed to be based on looks ( at least I hope not!) I think when you’re going to be spending such along time together, in such cramped conditions, it’s more than just ‘i’ve worked this long/ this is my work’. I know there were many great photographers from the course when I studied, but it would take alot to make me travel with them.

  31. #14: Rachel said a good audition video was one that let my true personality shine through. I did not talk a lot about body modification because I do not have a ton of personal experience, which IS a large part of why I would like to go on this trip. I grew up in the middle of a cornfield so I mean, I don’t know much about the sociological aspects about the body modification community or anything. It is an area I would definitely like to learn a lot more about. (Also, I’m Jewish…so I talk about money a lot. Sorry.)

  32. ‘Also, I’m Jewish…so I talk about money a lot. Sorry.’
    I laughed allowed when I read this, my family is also jewish ( I’m more into spiritualism) and my dads eyes lit up when I said ‘all expenses paid’, I know judaism is a religion, but I swear some traits, are just hereditary!

  33. lauras lobes look horrible
    & to the last guy: smoking on camera makes you look REALLY cool. really.

  34. Out loud rather, sorry it’s early morning and I clearly, I should be asleep and not online!

  35. #30: You just used a stereotype to justify constantly discussing your monetary situation in an audition video. Good job; it did nothing to explain anything, besides that you believe stereotypes are an easy justification. And I, as well as many, grew up in a sort of secluded area without many friends with body modification, but I still have a huge interest in it and know quite a bit about it. You didn’t even discuss what you were interested in about it; just that this trip was free, showed that you’re a “quirky girl” and that’s about it. And now your tumblr followers appear to be commenting frequently here to encourage you? Interesting.

  37. 33: I just meant that I grew up in a cultural environment where money is an issue that gets brought up a lot. It’s one of the first things my mom mentions every time she calls me on the phone. It might be a stereotype, but some stereotypes are true. I’m sorry if that offends you. In my Jewish family and other Jewish families I know, that stereotype holds true. And I only recognize one name from tumblr. That’s Nickea, up at the top. I don’t know any of the other people. I’m sorry that you take an issue with me. I wasn’t trying to show that I’m a “quirky girl.” Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I wasn’t putting on a show in that video.

  38. #33. I’m not one if her tumblr followers, I’ve never even spoken to her before. I realise stereotypes can be stupid, but if Amy’s family is anything like mine, money is a big deal and we have listened to this since we were born, I can’t even go to a buffet without taking more food than I need….I wish I was joking. I think you need to lighten up, it’s the judges choice anyway, you didn’t read her written application, maybe there was more in there about her personal life? I know I left out a bit of my video app, simply cause I was so nervous and just forgot.

  40. I don’t know any of the people personally, but If it was me back in the hiring position, so far I think that Darah would be the best choice. She seems professional, motivated, intelligent, and well-spoken, and it seems like she could do a good job and could be relied upon in many roles (and BME is a job/life that demands broad skills — and I think that should be considered since this has the potential to be more than an internship with the right person). Several others could do a good job as well I think, but to the extent that I have any say in the matter (and I don’t, but I’d hope that my suggestion is given consideration) and have a pretty solid understanding of the job, I would have very serious concerns about the people in the last two videos here and would urge Rachel not to go in that direction. Personally I would be very worried about their ability to present BME in a positive light and to do work that’s worth the significant time and money that Rachel is investing in this project. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but Amy’s mannerisms and speech just really rub me the wrong way and I’d worry that if I have an instinctual dislike of her that others would as well, and this makes doing interviews and other work of that type very difficult. The person who does this job should be as universally likable as possible. As to the last person, I’m really bothered by someone who’s primary identity seems to be “smoker”. It’s very obnoxious and unprofessional, and to me it screams of having no respect for Rachel and the job — I assure everyone that Rachel treats BME professionally and that this job isn’t a “joke” or just a hip place to hang out. It’s a serious business that is every bit as demanding, and more, than most jobs out there. Anyone I didn’t mention I feel neutral or positive on, but yeah, as of now I cast a solid vote for Darah, and as many votes against the last two as possible.

  41. SHREDDIE – Sorry! My mistake. I’ve fixed it. I’m not sure how that happened.

    As far as rude comments goes, welcome to ModBlog folks, if you want the job you’re going to have to deal with it. It’s unfortunate but it’s reality. People are mean when they are hiding behind a computer.

    Also Felicia is 100% correct in that the post is to give insight. This is a small sampling of the many videos we’ve received. There’s still time for more people to audition. I just picked a VERY random sample to let everyone see the types of submissions we’ve received so far.

    I want to add, I never expected this to be as difficult as it is. I feel badly that everyone can’t go. So good luck to those who’ve submitted so far and if you’re planning to submit, remember Saturday is only two days away so get your applications in!

  45. It was supposed to be funny. I guess my humor doesn’t translate well to the internet. I wasn’t trying to imply that all Jews do and I’m sorry if I offended anyone. I actually work for Hillel here on campus…my immediate boss is a rabbi.

  46. Humour never translates well to the Internet 🙁 I want to make a stereotype-Jewish-guilt-trip joke here, but I think it’s safer to leave it ;p

  47. I’m not sure that validating stereotyping is a good thing though. Tattooed people are criminals is a stereotype. While it’s true that many criminals are tattooed, it is also true that many people who have never broken any laws are also tattooed. Stereotypes tend to be harmful. They are used to justify a lot of bad things. I’m sure lots of non-Jews talk about money a lot too.

    That said, I’m not offended, just pointing out that some of us do not talk about money a lot. BME is pretty Jew-rific.

  48. Now that I’ve shoved my foot halfway down my throat and made a total asshole of myself, I’m going to quietly slink away into the depths of the Internet.

  50. this post has become, pretty much, a promotional marketing scheme for amy to ‘win’ apparently.

  51. There are way more applicants than the ones I posted, the people who do go aren’t going to be picked because they’re cute or whether or not they’ve put their foot in their mouth. 😉

    We’ll probably be posting up even more videos because we thought ModBlog readers might like to see the videos too. It’s fun and exciting to watch them and get a little peek into what the people applying are all about. I’m enjoying the videos, anyway.

  54. Shannon – The video SHREDDIE sent us is not the one I somehow managed to post, so I take the blame on that one. I’m not sure what happened but I’ve corrected it and posted the proper video that was submitted to us.

    Shannon makes very good points. Rachel is professional and she takes this seriously because it is what we do. It’s definitely going to be demanding as much as it will be incredible and fun, it is work.

  55. I guess I don’t mean to be validating it, my sister and I usually make a lot of jokes about our family because they fit so many of the stereotypes. I like to joke around with people, it’s never serious, guess I didn’t take into consideration that there are other people that would bother to read my rubbish 🙂
    BME is pretty Jew-riffic, my uncle would be horrified! I don’t mean that as a stereo type joke either 😀

  56. I joke around with my family and friends too. There’s a big difference though between that type of joking around between friends and family and posting things for the world to see. 🙂

    Jew-rific! It should be on a t-shirt. It probably is.

  57. Siren: It’s probably weirder for me than it is for you. I only know one of the people who posted on here.

    Shannon: I appreciate your honesty. I assure you, however, that I’ve held an internship in a professional environment before (for what it’s worth) and know the difference between situations where I can act professional and situations where I can be…THAT. I was afraid of coming off too stiff and it seems that my video may have been too far the other direction.

  60. I enjoyed the first movie until she called the dog over, she comes across as distracted and that doesn’t seem very professional. Also the fact her camera wasn’t angled properly kind of irked me, I mean come on, you’re trying to get a job here. Can you not get the camera angle right?

    Amy Brown, what can I say. I only managed about 40 seconds of the video. “I’m 20 and a half *randomly raises index finger and repeats self* ” Individuality came across as a slight form of mental retardation, in the not so cute sense.

    I’d go with number 2!
    The only guy who seemed to put his nerves behind him and he seemed quite passionate about his work..

    All the best!

  61. I agree with Lornen. Amy came off as childlike and I could barely watch. I don’t think I could (if I were the person in charge of the tour) live with a person like that for 3 months. Not trying to be rude, Amy, but the cutesy deer-in-headlights thing just doesn’t seem professional or make you seem like a qualified writer.

    The third video confused me. “Not terrible” at photography? “Pretty decent” writer? “I don’t have THAT MUCH experience”? Why is she talking herself down rather than trying to prove she’s qualified?

    Overall, Thad is the only one who seems professional and (maybe) qualified, although I’d like to see a portfolio. But if he’s at the Brook’s Institute, he’s got to be good.

    I hope the people judging look past appearances and look at qualifications, which is not what many of these commentors are doing. “She or he’s cute” does not equal “She or he can do this job.”

  63. Lindsey: I really appreciate some honest feedback that isn’t “lol yer cute” or “You’re retarded and make me want to kill myself.” Thank you.

  64. We’re posting these to modblog because they’re relevant and I want insight from readers.

    As Jen said, welcome to Modblog. If you can’t stand people saying shitty stuff about you FOR NO REASON AT ALL then you’re not cut out for the job. You have to have pretty thick skin to participate actively on this blog because you will be burned at the stake for the slightest of errors.

    I’m hoping that we’ll be able to post all of the applications that we receive, even the really bad ones, which there have been a few. I’m not going to point any out in particular but there have been some where I was thinking to myself, “what the hell was this person thinking?!”

    Hopefully on Monday, we’ll narrow it down to the finalists and I’ll be setting up a poll for people to vote on their favorites. It will include their videos, their portfolios and other things they’ve submitted for their applications so that modblog readers can actually vote for their choices of who’d they’d like to see out on the road. Modblog won’t be choosing THE WINNERS but a finalists ability to drive a large amount of traffic to come and vote for them will be important since the point of the trip is to document but also to help increase traffic as well as new members for BME.

  65. I know that the smoking made me look scummy and unprofessional, that’s why I made another one…and now everyone has negative impression of me.

  66. maybe you shouldn’t have made the smoking video in the first place. regardless, that video demonstrates a part of who you are, even if you didn’t mean to hide that part.

  69. Lindsay, I agree. Obviously he didn’t take time to even check what got uploaded to YouTube. First impressions are lasting, unfortunately.

  70. I do get what you guys are trying to say, proffesionalism is important. But as a photographer/reporter/videographer, the idea is get to know the person you are interviewing/photographing and to get the best results you need to make the person feel at ease, sometimes coming across as too professional can put people off, being a friend -in these situations- will make people open up far more and this may mean having a chat and smoking. So no, smoking in the video wasn’t the best move, he has even admitted to that and re-made a video, but I wouldn’t just discount a person for their natural habits. I sound like I’m crying in my video but Im perfectly fine in an everyday work environment (as a photographer) it was just due to nerves and never having video taped myself before.

    I know I should probably butt out but I have opions too haha

  72. lornen #60: unfortunately the camera was perfectly angled, but it was done in iMovie and apparently when you share directly FROM iMovie, it crops it in a very strange way. if you go to the actual youtube page this is stated. I was unaware of this and attempted to fix the crop after the fact but my video was already submitted so I couldn’t override it with another. I do not claim to know everything about iMovie (hence why I did not apply for the role of videographer) but now it’s a lesson learned. Now I know to check the crop (although I cant remember where) before sharing directly from the application on my dock. My baddd, y’all! haha

  74. Also, I’m sorry presenting my lovely English bully turned you off of my video. I thought the whole point of the audition videos was to show our personality and tell about ourselves. My dog is practically my child so she’s a huge part of my day to day life. I didn’t really touch on s lot of the reasons why I feel I’m qualified because I guess I didn’t want to be redundant (but in hindsight I reckon it wouldve been a good idea haha

    Either way, good luck to everyone who applies. I def know who shall be getting my vote on the polls! (& no, not myself!) haha 😛

  75. # 72, i think it’s if you right click or just scroll over the little ‘film sections’ (very pro terminology haha) there is like a toggle to change the crop….I didn’t realise it auto-cropped either!

  76. I think I’ve developed an addiction to posting here! Having the Internet on my phone turned out to be a dangerous thing 😉

  82. Hey, I submitted my video last night and if it effects your decision at all, my friends think you should pick me. And they are good people. lol.

  84. Amy-Brown was a complete disaster and painful to watch. No one cares if you have mods or not but don’t blame not having mods on anything other than yourself. I don’t have money or a job, but I have the load of mods and I’m sure that’s the case with a lot of us… if you really love em and want em, you’ll find ways to get em… You’re 20 “and a half”, not 11, stop acting like it. Fucking irritating.

  85. I really don’t see the necessity of being so harsh. if your not the one organising this trip, then I think you should keep it to yourself, or at least give helpful criticism…not just ‘omg you iritate me by being yourself, life is so fucking cruel”.

  86. I’m not willing to go into debt to get modified. My books are expensive. I have a medical condition with expensive prescription medication. I’m on work study, so I make minimum wage and can only work 8 hours a week. Don’t act like you know what my financial situation is like.

  87. I personally took that as an implication, to just go somewhere dodgy and get whatever done. Far better to save up and get one beautiful piece, than have a heap of whatever done cheaply.

    And I do get that lots of people are arseholes on the Internet, I just dont get why it still happens in a community where, you’d think everyone would be a lot more open minded and accepting of others. Not slagging them off for no good reason. I know it is possible, because people who are actually IN the competition, are still being supportive to their OWN competition!

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